Remotely controlled toy vehicle



Aug. 22, 1950 w. HOWARD 2,519,472

REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE Filed July 17, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1FlG.l.

INVENTOR WILLIAM HOWARD,

ATTORNEY F l G. 3.

22, 1950 w. HOWARD 2,519,472

REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE Filed July 17, 1948 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2FIG.4.

FIG. 6.

WVENTOR WILLIAM HOWARD,

1% AMW ATTORNEY Au 22, 1950 w OWARD 2,519,472

REMOTELY CONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE I i i i I :NVENTQR WILLIAM HOWARD,

FlG.9 v

ATTORN EY Patented Aug. 22, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REMOTELYCONTROLLED TOY VEHICLE William Howard, Mineola, N. Y.

Application July 1'7, 1948, Serial No. 39,289

1 'Claim. 1

This invention relates to a propelling mechanism for rolling toys andhas particular reference to a mechanism of the character describedwherein a remote controlling unit is included to direct the operation ofthe said mechanism.

An object of this invention is the provision therein for remotelycontrolling the forward or rearward motion of the toy and actuating asteering mechanism therein to change the direction of the moving toy.

Another object of this invention is the provision therein for locating acontrol unit at a distance from the rolling toy and connecting the toyto the remote control unit by a flexible electrical conductor cable.

Another object of this invention is the inclusion therein of rear signallights to indicate the direction of the turning movement of the rollingtoy.

Another object of this invention is the means provided therein fornormally keeping the front wheels of the toy in alignment with the rearWheels so that the toy, as it rolls, will travel in a straight line,either forwardly or rearwardly.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription and in the claim wherein parts will be identified byspecific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as genericin their application to similar parts as the art will permit. In theaccompanying drawings there has been illustrated the best embodiment ofthe in.

vention known to me, but such embodiment is to be regarded as typicalonly of many possible embodiments, and the invention is not to belimited thereto.

The novel features considered characteristic of my invention are setforth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself,however, both as to its organization and its method of operation,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will :best beunderstood from the following description of a specific embodiment whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a rolling toy which embrace thedriving mechanism and control unit of this invention and which, in theembodiment herein described, shows a miniature simulation of anautomobile body, enclosing the said dIiVillg mechanism.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the driving mechanism and showsthe encasing body in section.

Figure 3 is a plan View of the driving mechanism havin the enclosingbody removed.

Figure 4 is a partial plan and sectional view of the driving mechanismtaken approximately along line fil 1 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the driving mechanism removed from theenclosing body.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken along line -5-5 of Figure2.

Figure '7 is a rear end elevational view of a toy automobile includingthe driving mechanism.

Figure 8 is a top view of the box containing the remote control elementsand shows the cover thereof raised and swung to the side to bring toview the said elements therein.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the control box andshows the lower end of a, steering shaft and coacting switches to control the lateral movement of the front wheels of the toy.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing the electric circuits connecting thecontrol units in the remote control box with the various elements in thedriving mechanism.

Referring in detail to the parts, ll designates an enclosing body whichin the drawings (Figures l, 2, 6 and 7) show a miniature automobilebody, but which may be a representation of any similar body, or animal.Numeral l2 indicates a chassis or lower plate carrying the variouselements of the toy propellin mechanism, and is formed with an uprightwall 53 and an extension id to which there is secured, by screw bolts IEand nuts IS, a further extension I! having downwardly extending portion!8 and a downwardly extending leg :9. Laterally and downwardly extendingwheel supporting members 2! and 2! are secured to the extension IT bymeans of bolts 22. The said legs 29 and El are integrally connected by aband 23 (Figures 4 to '7 The forward end of the chassis i2 is formedwith forwardly extending arm 24 to which there are pivotally attached,by screw bolts 25, arms 26 to the outer ends of which there is pivotallyattached, by means of screw bolts 2'!, a cross bar 28, the said forwardend of the chassis, together with the pivotally attached arms 26 andcross bar 28 forming a parallelogrammatic construction for the purposehereinafter to be described. To the arms 26 there are secured blocks 29which carry wheels 30 pivotally attached thereto.

An electric motor 3| is secured to and held in place upon the frame bythe said band 23 and side strips 32, (Figure 7) and is adapted to rotatea gear 33 mounted upon the motor shaft 34 which has a bearin in portion[8 of the chassis. The said gear engages and is adapted to rotate ameshing gear 35 which is secured upon a shaft 36 extending through andhaving bearings in the portion i8 and leg IS. A c 1- lar 37 may besecured upon said shaft 39 to hold same in place. Upon the said shaft 36there is secured a bevelled gear'38 which, coacting with itscomplementary bevel gear 39 mounted upon a shaft 49, is adapted, by-itsrotation, to rotate a drive wheel H secured upon the said shaft 40. Thesaid shaft passes through and has bearing in said supporting member 29.A wheel 42 is pivotally mounted upon the said supporting member 2! uponsaid chassis in axial alignment with the said drive wheel 4|.

Theparallelogrammatic structure at the forward end of the chassis whichcarries the wheels 39 may be oscillated to move the said wheels 39 outof alignment with the rear wheels ll and 42 to turn the toy, while inmotion, to the right or left. To accomplish this result thereis'provided an oscillating arm 33 pivoted to the chassis at 4 3 andformed at'its forward end with a slot 45 which engages a pin 46 securedto the cross bar 28. The inner end of the said oscillating arm 43 hasattached thereto L-shaped bracket arms 47 and 48 which carry upon theirrespective ends electro-magnets 49 and 59. The free ends of the saidmagnets t9 and 59 are positioned directly above a rotatable disk 5|magnetically attractable to the said magnets when same are electricallyenergized. The said disk is positioned above the said extension In ofthe chassis or frame and is given rotation by the motor '3!co-ordinating with the bevel gear 52 upon the said motor shaft 34 andits complementary gear 53 fixed upon a shaft 54 to which the disk 5! issecured. The said brackets 4'! and 48 are sufficiently flexible to alloweither magnet, 41 or 38,

when electrically energized, to be drawn to the said disk'El.

'When the motor is rotating and driving the toy in a forward directionthe disk 5!, through its connection with themotor, is spinning in thedirection indicated by the arrow X (Figure 3), and the toy is moving inthe direction indicated by the arrow Y (same figure). Upon directing anelectric current to the magnet 89, as will be hereinafter described, themagnetic attraction produced thereby will draw the said magnet 49downwardly to contact the spinning disk 5!. The frictional contact thusestablished will draw the bracket 3! and its connected oscillating arm43 approximately to the position shown by dot-dash lines in Figure 3thereby moving the cross bar 28 and the wheels 39 connected to theparallelogrammatic structure to the position shown by the broken lines.This position will give the moving toy a movement in the directionindicated by the arrow Z. If, however, the magnet "59 is electricallyenergized instead, the said magnet would make frictional contact withthe disk 5! whereupon the movement of the oscillating arm 43 would be inthe opposite direction, as is obvious,

and the wheels 39 would move to turn the moving toy in an oppositedirection. Flat spring elements55 are attached to the said lower platel2 of the chassis at 59 and engage, at their free ends, upon either sideof the oscillating arm '43 to 'holdsame in its normal position.

"A cross bar 51, having upwardly'turned ends 58 .65 and switch :96.Direction lights 97 and 67a are also provided and with the motor 3! andmagnets 49 and 59 are hooked up, by means of a flexible four conductorcable 58 with a control box 69 which will now be described. The variouselectrical connections are omitted from the drawings but'are clearlyshown in the diagram of Figure 10.

The control elements are contained within a box having a bottom iii,front wall H, rear wall #2, side walls 13 and hinged cover it. Attachedto the inside of the front wall H is a cut-off and pole changing toggleswitch having an operating handle 16 extending through the front walland operable from the outside. A rheostat H is also attached to theinside wall Ti and has its shaft extending therethrough. An operatingknob '58 is attached to the outer end of the said rheostat. A shaft 19is mounted in the said control box and has its upper bearing through thefront wall H and its lower bearing in a block (Figures 8 and 9). Anannular shoulder 81 is formed upon the said shaft and has an arm 82extending therefrom while directly above said arm 82 and shaft 19 is atension spring 83 engaging the end of said arm 82 and attached to theupper part of the rear wall 72. To the outer end of the said shaft"!!!there is attached a wheel '84, simulating a miniature auto steeringwheel,

and operable by a finger hold. Upon the said block 89, in closejuxtaposition to the said shaft and in contact alignment with the saidarm 82 are contact terminal pins 85 and 86 each of which ha electricalconnection with a conductor in the flexible cable 68.

A group of dry batteries 8? is suitably connected to the toggle switch15 and through the said switch to the said rheostat ll, thence to one ofthe four conductors in the cable 68.

A second dry battery 88 is contained in the control box 69, one terminalof which connects with a conductor in the cable 68 while the otherterminal is electrically connected with the said shaft l9.

Referring now to the diagram in Figure 10 it will be noted that bythrowing the toggle switch handle circuits are closed between thecontact points 89 and 99 and 9! and 92 in the toggle switch '15. Acurrent flow is thus established which directs a current from thebatteries 8? through line 93, to point across switch arm to point 89,along line 9% to rheostat Tl, along line 95 (one conductor in cable 63),to motor 3!, back along line 95 (a second conductor in cable 68), alongbranch line 91, to point 9| in toggle switch, through switch arm topoint 92, then along line 98 to battery 8?, thereby electricallyenergizing the motor 3! and starting the toy in its forward movement. Ashereinbefore stated the rotation oi'the motor spins the disk 5|. As thetoy moves forward and the'wheel as is turned to the right or clockwiseand held, the shaft '59 is turned bringing the arm 82 into contact withthe pin 86 whereupon an additional current flow is then establishedwhich, starting at the battery 88 is directed along branch'line 99, line96, to branch line Hi0, branch llll, through magnet 49, line I02,through direction light 61, line I03 (third conductor in cable 68), tocontact pin 86, shaft 19 and through line I04 back to battery 88 thussetting the front wheels for a right turn and indicating such turn bythe direction light 67. Upon releasing the wheel 84 the circuitenergizing the direction light and the magnet 49 is broken between thearm 82 and the pin 86 whereupon the front wheels are urged to theirnormal position and the toy proceeds in a straight line.

By turning the wheel 80 in counter clockwise movement and holding samethe arm 82 contacts the point 85 and a circuit is closed at that pointcausing an electrical flow as follows: Starting at the battery 88 thecurrent flows along branch line 99 to line 96, branch I00, branch I04,magnet 50, line H05 to direction light 67a, line I05 to pin 85, arm 82,shaft '59 and line I05 back to battery 88. With the circuit justdescribed the magnet 50 makes frictional contact with the disk 5! andmoves the front wheels in a direction opposite to that previouslydescribed for a right turn and directs the toy to the left indicating bythe direction light that the toy is making a left turn. Upon releasingwheel 80 the turning circuit is broken at 82-85 and the front wheelswill again assume their normal position,

By moving the handle it of the toggle switch out to neutral position themotor circuit is broken and the toy will come to a stop. Throwing thehandle of the toggle switch in the opposite direction the circuit isclosed between the points 80 and I0! and 9! and I 08. This act changesthe polarity of the circuit flow to and from the motor and reverses theactions above described. The cross lines I09 and H0 switch the polarityand current flow when the arms contact the points I01 and I08 as setforth.

While the embodiment shown and described includes portable dry batteriesa transformer may be substituted therefor to reduce ahouse current tothe required low voltage with minor changes to the hook up.

The movement of the toy about the floor is limited, in distance, by thelength of cable connecting same to the control unit and to facilitatethe movement of the toy about the floor, the said cable may be looselyheld aloft by sliding attachment through a ring held upon the end of astring suspended from a chandelier or other means such as a string orwire stretched between the opposite walls of a room along which a rincarrying the cable may slide.

I claim:

In a propelling mechanism for rolling toys comprising a chassis carryingan enclosing body, front and rear wheels upon the said chassis, anelectrically driven motor upon the chassis geared to turn one of therear wheels to impart motion to said rolling toy, the said front wheelsbeing adapted to swing to the right or left to turn the said rolling toyto the right or left while in rolling motion, an arm pivotally connectedfor limited movement to either side of a central position upon the saidchassis and adapted to engage at one end with the said front wheels toswing same to the right or left, electro-magnets secured tolongitudinally spaced portions of the opposite end of said arm, amagnetic disk mounted to rotate beneath the said electro-magnets withits face adjacent to the poles thereof and its axis of rotationlongitudinally between the magnets, gears connecting the said disk withthe said motor, to spin said disk when said motor is in action, each ofthe said magnets, when electrically energized, making sufficientfrictional contact with the said spinning disk to move the magnet end ofsaid arm to its limit to the right or left respectively, therebyswinging the said front wheels in the respective direction, andthereafter so retain the arm by sliding frictional contact between thespinning disk and the magnet while the magnet is energized.

W'ILLIAM HOWARD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 407,950 Cooke July 30, 18891,780,487 Jurgesen Nov. 4, 1930 1,951,505 Dambrin Mar. 20, 19341,957,679 Strohacker May 8, 1934 1,966,145 Spotz July 10, 1934 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 469,037 Germany Nov. 28, 1928

